Portable voting-booth



(No Model.)

J. PAYNE.

PORTABLE VOTING BOOTH.

190.415,395.l Patented Nov. 19, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

JOIIN PAYNE, OF CONNERSVILIJE, INDIANA.

PORTABLE VOTING-BOOTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,395, dated November 19, 1889.

Serial No. 322,907. (No model.)

To @ZZ wiz/0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN PAYNE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Connersville, in the county of Fayette and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Voting-Booths, ot which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide voting-booths for election purposes which are inexpensive, can be readily set up for'use, removed, and stored in a small space.

In States which have adopted what is known as the Australian system of holding elections (of which my State is one) the law re-` quires the proper officer to provid e, among oth.- ertl1ings,three booths or apartments in which electors shall mark their ballots screened from observatiom7 &c.

My invention provides an inexpensive means to comply with the law and avoid the necessity of employing mechanics at each election at considerable expense to construct booths in the usual manner.

The invention will be first fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and will be then particularly referred to, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similar reference-letters wherever they occur throughout the various views, Figure l is a perspective view of my booths set up for use. Fig. 2 is a plan View of one end of the same. Figs. 3 and 4' are detail views showing the construction of some of the parts.

The body A, partitions B, and curtains C are made of heavycanvas, the back, ends, and both end curtains C being preferably of a single piece. The intermediate curtains are made of two pieces. The edges of the curtains overlap andthe lapping edges are securely sewed together at the top.

The booths or compartments, when more than one is required, are formed by partitions B, which are secured to the back and center of the in-termediate curtain-pieces C by their lapped vert-ical edges, which are sewed to the back and front. Each of the top corners are provided with upwardly-exten ding perforated lug-pieces, through which perforations the reduced ends of the corner-posts l) pass to prevent the walls from slipping down, and the lower corners are provided with pockets or keepers to receive the lower ends of the posts, so as to insure the tight stretching of the canvas at the. bottom around the back and ends.

the bottom, they are armed with metal points d, or socket-pieces d may be provided to receive the lower ends of the rods,which socketpieces may be secured to the fioor by screws, as shown at the left corner, Fig. l. The ends of the canvas are stretched and held apart by strips E, which are perforated near the ends to pass over the tenons on the top of posts D. These strips are held in place and the structure supported in position for use by ropes F, the looped ends of which pass over the tenons on the posts above the strips E. The opposite ends of the ropes are passed through rings or screw-eyes G, secured in the door, and are secured by tying or otherwise. IE it is desired to make the partitions more rigid, this end may be attained by sewing lugs to central curtains Cand tacking them to the floor, as seen in dotted line at b, Fig. l.

In order to set up my booths, it is only necessary to place the posts in the four corners, then place their feet in proper position on the floor, place the strips E over the tenons at each end, then pass the loops of the ropes over the tenons above the strips, place the screw-eyes and draw the ropes through them and fasten the ropes, all requiring but a few moments of time. After the election the parts are detached and all of them, except one rope, folded up in the canvas, making a compact bundle, which is tied with the reserved rope and placed away until again needed.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown, as it is evident from the foregoing that the details may be varied by slight changes and yet the purposes and objects of my invention be attained. I would hence have it understood that I consider all mere mechanical changes as within the spirit and scope of my invention.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

sisting of the body A, partitions B, and curtains C C,with the uprights D, cross-pieces E,

In order to prevent the posts from slipping at l. A voting-booth composed of canvas con-v IOO and ropes F, to support the same in position, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a voting-booth having different compartments, the combination of the body oomprising the back, ends, and end front curtains 3. The combination, substantially as de;

scribed, of the body A, having lugs at its top corners and pockets at its lower corners, the

curtains C C', and partitions B, the Whole oomposed of canvas and sewed together, as shown, with the post D, cross-pieces E, ropes F, and rings G,Whereby the canvas booths are erected and held in place and readily removed for folding and storing.

JOHN PAYNE.

Witnesses:

MELVIN ELLIS, `WM. P. REEs. 

